1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a box-type microscope apparatus, such as an optical microscope apparatus, having a housing for blocking light or protecting a specimen environment which is chiefly used for the purpose of the observation and/or measurement of a living specimen such as a cell.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical microscopes are generally used as means for observing living cells, in vivo, such as medium cell specimens, cultured with culture fluid on petri dishes or microplates. In recent years, the optical microscope has been combined with a high-sensitivity image pickup means, such as a cooled CCD camera, so that feeble fluorescent light is detected from the medium cell labeled by fluorescence and is recorded as image data. The fluorescent light from the medium cell labeled by fluorescence is extremely feeble, and in order to detect this feeble fluorescent light with accuracy, the detection of light other than the fluorescent light from the cell, namely, of disturbance light, must be prevented as far as possible. For this, some optical microscope apparatuses commercially available have structures such that the entire inverted microscope is covered with a housing and thereby external light is not detected at least when an image is acquired. As one of such box-type optical microscope apparatuses, an inverted microscope, for example, made by General Electric Healthcare Company, is available.
This optical microscope apparatus covers the entire inverted microscope with a housing and includes an electric stage on which a microplate can be placed and which is controlled by a computer and thereby can be moved in X and Y directions. The housing is partially provided with a door so that the electric stage springs forth from the door to a preset position outside the housing, with the microplate placed on the stage. An operator brings about a state where the electric stage lies at the preset position outside the housing and is capable of replacing or setting the microplate. In accordance with instructions of the operator, the door is such as to open when the electric stage springs forth to the preset position outside the housing and to close when the electric stage is incorporated in the housing. Whereby, the entire inverted microscope can be light-blocked and it becomes possible to protect the specimen environment in combination with a living body holding device such as a temperature controller.
In such a box-type motor-operated microscope, when an observation object is moved from a position outside the box to an observation position inside the box by the electric stage, there is the possibility that foreign matter, such as the hand and finger of the operator, is drawn in error into the box, and thus it becomes necessary to ensure safety. However, in an upright box-type microscope incorporating an image forming optical system, an observation optical system, and the electric stage in the housing, the safety mechanism of a door section is known (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Kokai No. 2003-5079). The microscope apparatus disclosed in Kokai No. 2003-5079 is provided with a detection means for detecting the presence of the foreign matter in the door section when a supporting bench supporting the observation object is brought into the housing.
However, the present applicant has invented an optical microscope apparatus set forth in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-331325, as the box-type motor-operated microscope for the purpose of obviating oversizing of the apparatus and improving the operation accuracy of the stage without enlarging the operation range of the stage. An optical microscope apparatus 101 according to this invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, includes an inverted microscope 102 having an electric stage 112 on which a microplate 140 incorporating a specimen A is placed, a transmitting illumination optical system 111, and an image forming optical system 114; and a housing 120 surrounding the inverted microscope 102. The housing 120 is composed of a fixed housing 121 and a moving housing 122 which can be opened and closed with respect to the fixed housing 121. The moving housing 122 is rotatably supported by the fixed housing 121 so as to bring about an opened state shown in FIG. 1 by rotating on a rotary shaft 160 through a rotation mechanism, not shown, like bearings. The housing 120 is such that, in a closed state, external light is blocked and the inverted microscope 102 can be maintained in a light-blocked state. Also, in this figure, reference numeral 113 denotes a reflecting illumination optical system.
Of optical parts constituting the transmitting illumination optical system 111 and the image forming optical system 114, some optical parts arranged above the electric stage 112 are provided to be movable through the moving housing 122. When the moving housing 122 is located at the position of the opened state with respect to the fixed housing 121, these optical parts are removed from the upper position of the electric stage 112, while when it is located at the position of the closed state, the optical axis of the transmitting illumination optical system 111 is practically aligned with that of the image forming optical system 114.
According to the optical microscope apparatus 101 constructed as mentioned above, in the case where the microplate 140 incorporating the specimen A on the electric stage 112 is replaced, when the moving housing 122 is opened with respect to the fixed housing 121, some optical parts in the transmitting illumination optical system arranged above the electric stage 112 are removed, together with the moving housing 122, from the upper position of the electric stage 112. Hence, a wide space is ensured above the electric stage 112 and the work of the replacement and fixing of the specimen is facilitated. When the moving housing 122 is closed with respect to the fixed housing 121, the inverted microscope 102 is covered with the housing 120 and is light-blocked, and the optical axis of the optical system located above the electric stage 112 constituting the inverted microscope 102 is practically aligned with that of the optical system located below the electric stage 112, so that it becomes possible to utilize illumination light from the transmitting illumination optical system 111 and to carry out a microscope observation through the image forming optical system 114.
An optical microscope apparatus 201 of another example set forth in the specification of Application No. 2005-331325, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, is constructed so that a housing 220 is provided with a moving housing 222 movable in a horizontal direction through a direct-acting guide, not shown, on a fixed housing 221. Between the fixed housing 221 and the moving housing 222, a click mechanism, not shown, is provided so that the moving housing 222 is capable of maintaining the opened and closed states with respect to the fixed housing 221. In these figures, reference numeral 211 denotes a transmitting illumination optical system; 212, an electric stage; 213, an image forming lens; 214, an image forming optical system; and 219, a condenser lens.
According to the optical microscope apparatus 201 of FIGS. 2A and 2B constructed as mentioned above, when the moving housing 222, as shown in FIG. 2A, is located at the position of the closed state with respect to the fixed housing 221, the optical axis of the condenser lens 219 in the transmitting illumination optical system 211 provided in the moving housing 222 is practically aligned with that of the objective lens 213 and the moving housing 222 is maintained in a fixed state by the operation of the click mechanism at this position, so that a space inside the housing 220 is blocked from the external light. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the moving housing 222 is moved to be in the opened state, optical members arranged above the electric stage 212 in the transmitting illumination optical system 211 are removed together with the moving housing 222. Consequently, a wide space is ensured above the electric stage 112 and the work of the replacement and fixing of the specimen is facilitated. Moreover, the correction collar of the objective lens can also be operated.
According to the optical microscope apparatus 201 of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the housing 220 can be opened and closed only by sliding the moving housing 222 in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed housing 221 and a great force is not needed for manipulation. Hence, there is the advantage that maneuverability is excellent. In addition, according to the optical microscope apparatuses shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, since there is no need to enlarge the operation range of the electric stage to the exterior of the housing in order to ensure a wide space for the work of the replacement of the specimen above the electric stage, oversizing of the apparatus can be prevented and the operation accuracy of the electric stage can be improved.